Teacher excited about teaching first day of class

Kristianne Daos walked around her classroom Tuesday morning, placing a schedule and other educational materials on the wall of room 9 at Steffan Manor Elementary School. Much of her preparation work had been completed already, as tiny desks had been placed in clusters of four. At each desk was a name tag on a string lanyard and a paper announcing a classroom scavenger hunt.

Everything needed to be in place as Wednesday would be a first day for everybody in room 9.

The first day of kindergarten is usually marked with tears, uncertainty and nervousness, as many students find themselves in a new and strange place: School.

Wednesday would be Daos' first day teaching kindergarten.

"I'm nervous for the first day," Daos said with a laugh. "You never know what type of kids you will get."

Daos, a University of California at Davis graduate, said that she taught pre-school before becoming a kindergarten teacher with the Vallejo City Unified School District, yet she always had her eye on teaching kindergarten.

Daos said that she still remembers her second grade class in elementary school, watching as her teacher interacted with the class.

"That's when I knew I wanted to teach," she said.

Daos, 29, said Tuesday that she was most excited about being around the different personalities — that would be 24 different personalities — of the kids and watching how the kids interact.

Daos explained that even in kindergarten, students are held to a high standard of learning, as they must know how to count to 100, and read and write, among other things.

"It's a long list," she said laughing.

Daos said that she is prepared for the challenge of dealing with several students after lunch.

"I'm going to have siesta time after lunch," Daos said with a laugh. "It will be quiet time, as the kids will put their heads down on their desks."

As the first day of school arrived for all the students at VCUSD, Daos' kindergarten class got down to basics.

Daos had the class line up in front of the classroom door before taking a tour of the school, which was originally built in 1942 and partially rebuilt in 2003 after a devastating April 2001 fire destroyed a section of the school.

"Are you ready to be kindergartners?" Daos asked her students before they exited the class,

"Yeah!" the class excitedly shouted back.

The class was able to visit the main office, where the nearest boys and girls bathrooms were located and finally they got to participate in the most important activity of the day: Recess.

Before heading to a recess safety meeting with other kindergartners at Steffan Manor, the kids of Daos' class passed through the main circular foyer of the school, which displays the four freedoms outlined by former president Franklin D. Roosevelt in his 1941 State of the Union Address, "Freedom from want, freedom of speech, freedom from fear, freedom of religion (worship)."

After the meeting, all the kindergarten classes were able to enjoy the playground, swarming the play apparatus like ants to a sugar cube.

"(The kids in my class) are a good mix of diverse cultures," said Daos as she watched the students play during recess. "The nervousness left as the kids got to class."

Daos reiterated that she would enjoy getting to know the different personalities of the kids.

"I'm not ready to change my mind (about teaching)," Daos said laughing. "It's like riding a bike, very natural."